A fire, whipped up by dry conditions and quick winds, hit an estimated four-square-mile area Monday afternoon. But Sterling Fire Chief Kurt Vogel said the fire was now 100 percent contained, thanks to shifting wind directions and rain from an incoming storm.

Fourteen firetrucks from Sterling, Peetz, Crook and Merino fire departments had tackled the grass fire from about 2 to 7 p.m.

Vogel said lightning striking dry grass likely caused the fires to start, since responding firefighters found at least three smaller flare-ups clustered in the same area of the larger one.

Vehicles had a difficult time reaching the fire in many places, since the rural, rocky area has few access roads. One of the Sterling trucks broke down, but it's no longer at the scene of the fire.

And at some points, responders had to use farmers' roads and had to cut fire breaks on foot in the rockier terrain.

"The fire was heading south. Then the wind changed, then it changed again," Vogel said at 5 p.m. "Right now it's helping it burn back on itself."

A couple buidlings were initially threatened by the flames -- one family self-evacuated -- but the wind changed directions before any damage was done. Without the help of the rain, fire crews would likely still be putting out hotspots.

ODESSA, Texas (AP) — A West Texas man has been charged with impersonating an officer by using sirens and flashing lights to skip to the head of the drive-thru line at a fast-food restaurant. Full Story

Sufjan Stevens, "Carrie & Lowell" (Asthmatic Kitty) Plucked strings and pulsing keyboards dominate the distinctive arrangements on Sufjan Stevens' latest album, and in the absence of a rhythm section, they serve to keep time. Full Story